Three D Radio announcer, Megan Cat (up until recently with her husband, the late Peter Brat) lives in "The BratHaus" a rural seaside home about 100km from Adelaide on South Australia's scenic Fleurieu Peninsula.
Veteran musician Peter, and artist/musician Megan, were long-time DJs on Three D Radio 93.7fm
, Adelaide's eclectic independent music station.
Together Peter & Megan, known as "The Cat and The Brat" created this blog to allow listeners to review the playlists of their radio show, "Technicolour Dreaming" , watch clips of selected songs and simply join them in the enjoyment of their favourite music... psychedelia, 60's garage,
surf, punk/post-punk, pop, folk-rock, glam, 'Krautrock', goth, 80's electro... and much more!
But The Cat is carrying on the tradition, with guest co-presenters, and "Technicolour Dreaming" will continue in the same format, drawing from the huge "Cat & Brat" music collection, with the addition of new releases and reissues to keep things current. The Brat is hugely missed, but the show must go on, as he wanted...

Tuesday, April 26, 2016

Technicolour Dreaming

As promised a few weeks ago, this show featured some more selections from the excellent hard-back book and double CD set "A Seance At Syd's", which has now sold out, unfortunate indeed if you wanted to buy a copy, but great for Mega Dodo Records, who released the package. The 300-page book, which was written by Dave Thompson, is described as "an anthology of modern acid-folk-haunt-psych-prog-space-kraut-radiophonic-rock etc quotes, words, wit and wisdom." Over 80 different performers, bands, record label heads and artists participated in the project, and it's a very entertaining read about life in the music industry, among other topics, with the 40 tracks across the 2 CD's acting as a soundtrack to your reading experience. A pleasure to listen to and read, with some fantastic discoveries, and re-discoveries made in the process!

Another new favourite that's just popped up on my radar, is Orgasmo Sonore, aka Frank Rideau, via his track "Turkish Psych" which appeared on the last Active Listener compilation. His latest release "Revisiting Obscure Library Music" is the most recent in a series of 4 LP's of interpretations of obscure soundtracks and other instrumentals, with the track I played taken from the upcoming LP "Themes International" due out any week now. Check him out, you won't be sorry! So here's the playlist, with moving pictures and stuff...

Roxy Music - In Every Dream Home A Heartache ("For Your Pleasure" LP 1973 UK)
The Balloon Farm - A Question of Temperature (7" single 1967 New Jersey, USA)
The Music Machine - You'll Love me Again ("Bonniwell Music Machine" LP 1968 [2014 reissue bonus track] Los Angeles, USA)
The Barbarellatones - Psychedelic Freakout ("Glitter Train" 2016 Hawaii, USA)

Midwich Youth Club - A Mind Made Of ("A Seance at Syd's" [hardback book + 2 CD set] 2015 Birmingham, UK)
David Devant and His Spirit Wife and the Mystery Fax Machine Orchestra - Miracles Happen (Worshiping in Silence) ("A Seance at Syd's" [hardback book + 2 CD set] 2015 Brighton, UK)
The Aurapool - Furry Fury Tango ("The Earth Above the Sky Below: Your Psych Tunes Vol 3" compilation 2007 Fort Lauderdale, Florida USA)
The Hare and the Moon - Bard of Eve ("Wood Witch" 2015 UK)
Vibravoid - What You Want ("Psychedelic Blueprints: An Introspection of the Years 2000-2013" 2016 Dusseldorf, Germany)
Les Annees - Catherine Fields ("Les Annees" 2009 Melbourne, Australia) 
Balduin - Wind in the Willows ("Rainbow Tapes" 2009 Switzerland)
The Creatures Of The Golden Dawn - It Will All End in Tears anyway  ("Tripping" 2016 Pennsylvania, USA)
Diamond Incarnation - Spacespin  ("Scorpio 15" EP 2014 Taipei, Taiwan)
Los VV's - Fancy Cars  ("Los VV's" digital EP 2015 Paris, France)
Blondi's Salvation - Ventoline  ("Wisdom Whisper" 2015 Nantes, France)
Steeple Remove - Mirrors  ("Position Normal" 2015 Paris, France)
Fogbound - Come and See  (7" single 2014 Spain)
Frankie and the Witch Fingers - Merry Go Round  (7" single 2016, Los Angeles USA)
Frantic Chant - Heaven Holds a Place  (7" single [b-side to "Spittin' Fire"] 2012 Leith, Edinburgh UK)
Buried Feather - Plates  ("Buried Feather" 2013 Melbourne, Australia)
Groovy Uncle [feat. Suzi Chunk and Miss Modus] - Wet Weekend  ("Persuaded" 2014 UK)
Invisible Ships - Lucy Dream  (CD single 2013 Kent, UK)
Jeffertitti's Nile - No One  ("Electric Hour" 2014 Los Angeles, USA)
Jerome and the Psychics - No Stone Unturned  ("Money is Violence" 2014 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)
Kehrschleife - Die Zitrone Vioncello  ("Kehrschleife Drei" 2015 Germany) 
Kingdom of the Holy Sun - Trip Out  ("Thirteen Eyes" EP 2014 Seattle, Washington)
Lorelle Meets the Obsolete - The In-Between  ("Ghost Archives" EP 2012 Guadalajara, Mexico)
Magic Shoppe - Time to Go  ("Reverberation" 2011 Boston, USA) 
Midday Veil - Babel  ("This Wilderness" 2015 Seattle, Washington USA) 
Orgasmo Sonore - Turkish Psych  ("Themes International" 2016 Montreal, Canada)

Tuesday, April 19, 2016

Technicolour Dreaming

Some tasty treats from the wonderful Fruits de Mer Records arrived in my letterbox, so of course I just had to play ALL of them on the show this week - how could I resist! The current crop of soon-to-be-released vinyl included the latest single from the sixties legends July (an exclusive extended version, and a demo mix of "Can I Go Back Again" a song that appeared in it's original form on their new album "Resurrection"); a coloured vinyl 4-track 7" 33rpm EP (phew!) from Crystal Jacqueline, titled "Morning Dew"; and finally Sendelica's latest spacerock epic, "The Cromlech Chronicles" LP, with which I closed the show by playing all 20 minutes worth of Side 2 - because I can!
Other new releases included Doug Tuttle's "It Calls on Me", and another track off The Luck of Eden Hall's wonderful "The Acceleration of Time" plus a swag of songs from 2015 which I've only just got around to playing.....
So here's the playlist, with not nearly as many clips as usual, cos I can't include what doesn't exist - a pitfall of playing relatively "unknown" bands, but at least the music's out there to enjoy.

The Sun Birds - Drag Me Down  ("Your Psych Tunes Vol 3" compilation 2007 (Portland,  Oregon USA)
Inside Looking Out - Long Live Sivananda  (7" single 1969 Adelaide, Australia)
Al Hotchkiss (Los Tentakills) - I'm a Wolfman For You  ("Your Psych Tunes Vol 3" compilation 2007 Glasgow, UK)
Gilligan Smiles - Whatever Happened to Atlas Johnson?  ("Karmasouptruck" 2015 Melbourne, Australia)
Erasers - By Your Side  ("Stem Together" 2015 Perth, Australia)
July  - Can I Go Back Again  (7" single [to be released 9 May 2016] UK)
Vibromaniacs - Gloria's Nightmare  ("Sweet Smell of Hell" 2007 Dijon, France)
The Diamond Center - Messenger of Wonder  ("Crystals for the Brass Empire" 2015 Austin, Texas USA)
Barry Uhl - Song of Songs  ("The Stargazer's Bible" 2015 Seattle, USA)
The Striped Bananas - Open Eyes ("Cosmic Carnival" 2015 Ann Arbor, Michigan USA)
The Luck Of Eden Hall - Arthropoda Lepidoptera  ("The Acceleration of Time" LP [to be released 1 June 2016] Chicago, Illinois USA)
Doug Tuttle - Saturday-Sunday  ("It Calls On Me" 2016 Rochester, New Hampshire, USA)
Apple - The Otherside  ("An Apple a Day" LP 1969 Cardiff, Wales UK)
The Flies - (I'm Not Your) Stepping Stone  (7" single 1966, London UK)
Billy Nicholls  - London Social Degree  ("Would You Believe" LP 1968 UK)
The Wrong Society - Without You  (7" single [b-side to "She Destroyed Me"] 2015 Hamburg, Germany)
Paul Messis - The Blind Leading the Blind  (7" single 2015, West Sussex, UK)
The Brats - We Love You [Rolling Stones]  ("Live at the Pt Elliot Hotel" demo 1980 Adelaide, Australia)
Blue Sunshine Minds - How Does it Feel  ("Burn Your Fingers on the Sun" compilation 2007 Melbourne, Australia)
Crystal Jacqueline - Morning Dew [Bonnie Dobson/Tim Rose]  ("Morning Dew" 7" EP [to be released 9 May 2016] UK)
Maston - Gold Leaf  ("Opal Collection" 2014 Los Angeles, California USA)
Felipe Arcazas - Carl Sagan  ("Felipe Arcazas and Vintage Cucumber" split EP 2013 Brazil)
Flowers of Hell - Atmosphere [Joy Division]  ("Odes" 2012 Toronto, Canada / London)
The Green Circles  - Let Me Through  ("Tavistock Street" 2008 Adelaide, Australia)
The Perpetuated Spirits of Turpentine - The Girl with the Sandy Blonde Hair (7" single 1966 USA)
Sendelica - Satori (Part 1)/Vellichor/Zenosyne  ("The Cromlech Chronicles" LP [to be released 29 May 2016] West Wales, UK)

Tuesday, April 12, 2016

Technicolour Dreaming

Serendipity is a much-touted term, but when it happens, it really makes you realise that everything (in the musical world, anyway) is connected - sorry, I'm getting all mystical here! Quite unintentionally, my serendipitous connection this week is a fellow by the name of Allan Crockford - and he pulls all the strings together by being an original member of The Prisoners, producer of the first album by fellow-Medway scenesters The Dentists, and he's currently writing and performing with The Galileo 7. All bands which I played this week, with The Galileo 7 having just released their new album "Live-O-Graphic", which was recorded in a working lithographic press (in the workshop, not the actual press itself).

I don't normally do reviews, but these "nearly live" tracks are as good as it gets - compared to "really live", that is! A stupendous amount of energy drips from every cut - a touch faster than the originals, but every bit as accomplished. The swirling organ is a highlight, along with the precise vocal harmonies and pounding, volcanic drums and bass powering it all along - if this is "nearly live", then being at an actual performance would obviously be an event that will endure in the memory, for those ever lucky enough to see the band in the flesh (sadly, the Antipodes are a touch far away for me to get to a gig in the UK). This is The Galileo 7 as you've never heard them recorded before - and as fantastic an introduction to their back-catalogue as you could ever hope to own. And so endeth my rave.

Also on the show (phew, I'm out of breath - and words), I featured the first installment of the Mega Dodo Singles Club - 2 limited-edition slices of 7 inch vinyl goodness from The Octopus Syng and The Honey Pot (the former a lovely strawberry-red colour - I do love my coloured vinyl!), complete with a membership card, colour band picture-postcards, download cards, sticker and a tiny bee! And I'm not even going to get started on the "A Seance at Syd's" hardback book and double-CD combo (also from the nice people at Mega Dodo records) - think I might leave that til next week, so I can do it justice - it's just such a lovely thing to behold!
Ok, enough of this ranting - here's the playlist, with some moving pictures.... 

Vibravoid - What You Want  ("Psychedelic Blueprints: An Introspection of the Years 2000-2013" Dusseldorf, Germany 2016)
Robyn Hitchcock - I Want You (She's So Heavy) [Beatles] (7" split single [with Terry Edwards] 2011 UK)
Night Beats - The Other Side  ("Night Beats" 2011 Seattle, Washington USA)
The Octopus Syng - Flaming [Pink Floyd]  (7" single [b-side to "Reverberating Garden No. 7" ] 2016 Finland)
The Honey Pot - Lisa Dreams  (7" single 2016 UK)
The Galileo 7 - Don't Fly Too High  ("Live-O-Graphic" 2016 UK)
King Penguin - Thoughts and Words [Byrds]  ("A Seance at Syd's" 2 x CD and Book 2015 UK)
The Dentists - Burning the Thoughts From My Skin  (7" single [b-side to "Strawberries Are Growing in My Garden (And it's Wintertime)"] 2014 re-issue, The Medway, UK)
The Luck Of Eden Hall - Another High Speed Blowout  ("The Acceleration of Time" LP [to be released 1 June 2016] Chicago USA)
The Paperhead - She is Above Me  (7" single [b-side to "Pictures of Her Demise"] 2012 Nashville USA)
The Dead Skeletons - Psycho Dead  ("Live in Berlin" 2016 Reykjavik, Iceland)
Sproatley Smith - Pixieled ("A Seance at Syd's" 2 x CD and Book 2015 UK)
Beaulieu Porch - The Colour 55 ("A Seance at Syd's" 2 x CD and Book 2015 UK)
Balduin - Everything  ("Choose Balduin" 2011 Switzerland)
Jacco Gardner - Notus  (7" single [b-side to "The End of August"] 2013 Netherlands) 
Graham Day and the Forefathers - 30-60-90  (7"single  [b-side to "Love Me Lies"] 2014 UK)
Beaulieu Porch - Keep On Screaming  ("Beaulieu Porch" 2012 UK)
Chevalier Avante Garde - Young  (7" single 2011 Montreal, Canada)
Dark Ocean Colours - When Both Our Worlds Collide  (digital single 2013 Toledo, Ohio USA)
Torpa - Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Theme  (digital single 2013 UK)
Flavor Crystals - Ivan in the Park  ("Three" 2012 Minneapolis, USA)
Forever Pavot - Christophe Colombe  ("Forever Pavot" 7" EP 2014 Paris, France)
Happy Dagger - Waves  ("Happy Dagger" EP 2014 Portland, Oregon USA)
Has A Shadow - Can't Stop the Fall  ("Sky Is Hell Black" 2013 Guadalajara, Mexico) 
MIMICO - Man from Japan  ("MIMICO" 2013 Toronto, Ontario, Canada)
New Electric Ride - Bye Bye (Baton Rouge) ("Balloon Age" 2014 London UK)
Prince Ruperts Drops - This Evening's Arms  ("Run Slow" LP 2014 Brooklyn, New York USA)
Quilt - Open Eyes  ("New Hampshire Freaks" split 10" [with MMOSS] 2013 Boston, USA)

Tuesday, April 5, 2016

Technicolour Dreaming

As promised, this week I featured a veritable plethora of recent, new and soon to be released tracks (well, compared to previous weeks, a few, anyway!) from the likes of Technicolour Dreaming faves The Luck of Eden Hall, Kikagaku Moyo, King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard and Violet Swells. After a reasonably quiet couple of months, it seems that I hear word of great new stuff every couple of days. Could it be a publicity flurry in advance of Record Store Day on April 16th, or just a coincidence? Who knows, but it's great to see the vinyl resurgence continue to grow, though unfortunately slowed somewhat due to the major labels jumping on the bandwagon with pointless re-issues, and clogging up the pressing plant schedules at the expense of the small independent labels, who were the ones that supported them through the tough times. 

So here's the play-list, with even more new stuff in store for the next show...

Billy Nicholls - Girl From New York  ("Would You Believe" LP 1968 UK)
Richard De Bordeaux Et Daniel Beretta - La Drogue ("Extrait Du Film 'Le Temps Fou' Du Marcel Camus" EP 1968 France)
Elephant Stone (featuring Alex Maas) - The Devil's Shelter  (digital single 2015 Montreal, Canada)
Kikagaku Moyo  - Kogarishi ("House in the Tall Grass" LP [to be released in May 2016] Japan)
King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard - Gamma Knife  ("Nonagon Infinity" LP [to be released 29 April 2016] Melbourne, Australia)
Murmurs of Irma - Vacuum Cleaner [Tintern Abbey]  ("The Great British Psychedelic Trip Revisited" 2016 Portsmouth UK)
Violet Swells -  Gravity Wins Again (digital single 2015 Hobart, Australia)
Circassian  - Eastern Patterns  ("Procrastinational" EP 2012 Greece) 
The Small Faces - I Feel Much Better  ("There Are But Four Small Faces" LP 1967 UK)
The Orange Revival - Lying in The Sand ("Futurecent" 2015 Sweden)
Signal to Noise Ratio - Magician [The Amazing Friendly Apple]  ("The Great British Psychedelic Trip Revisited" 2016 Warsaw, Poland) 
The Luck Of Eden Hall - A Procession of Marshmallow Soldiers Across the Clockwork Pudding  ("The Acceleration of Time" LP [to be released 1 June 2016] Chicago USA)
Black Market Karma - Run Run Run  ("Comatose" 2012 London, UK)
Neighb'rhood Childr'n - She's Got No Identification  ("Neighb'rhood Childr'n" LP 1968 San Francisco, USA)
Elephant Stone - Dhun  ("The Glass Box" EP 2010 Montreal, Canada)
The Reverb Syndicate - Return of the Angry Gentleman ("Mondo Cacti" 2011 Ottawa, Canada)
Mystic Brew - Something More Than A Dream  ("Something More Than A Dream" LP 2015 Russia)
Sacagawea and the Hunter - Boris the Assassin  ("Lewis and Clark" EP 2013 Philadelphia, USA)
Ipissimus - Hold On [Sharon Tandy] (7" single 1969 UK)
ESP Limited - Tell Me  ("It Came From the Garage - Nuggets from Southern California"
compilation 2007 USA)  
A Little Bit of Sound - Girls Who Paint Designs  (7" single 1967 Long Island, New York USA)
The Black Ryder
- Let Me Be Your Light ("The Door Behind The Door" 2015 Australia/USA)
McGough and McGear - So Much To Love  ("McGough and McGear" LP 1968 UK) 
D.C. Drifters - Louisiana Blues  (7" single b-side [to "I Know"] 1967 USA)
The Sweet Acids - That Creature  (7" single 1969 Georgia, USA) 
Grateful Dead - Morning Dew (Take Me For A Walk) ("The Grateful Dead" LP1967 San Francisco USA)
The Messengers - We Can't Get Along ("The Messengers" EP 2013 Melbourne, Australia)
The Sensational Alex Harvey Band - Action Strasse ("Tomorrow Belongs To Me" LP 1975 UK)
The Peep Tempel - People Don't Get You ("The Peep Tempel" 2012 Melbourne, Australia)
Shake Spears - I Can't Tell (7" single 1965 Belgium)
The Sand Pebbles - Red Orange Purple and Blue ("Ceduna" 2008 Melbourne, Australia)
And an extra little treat - another track from King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard's soon to be released LP "Nonagan Infinity" - it's called "People - Vultures".....enjoy!!